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Good transportation is vital for access to activities and essential services that are <br />needed to fully participate in society. <br />In automobile dependent communities, people who do not have the ability to <br />drive or do not have access to vehicles can be at a great economic and social <br />disadvantage. Forty percent of Minnesotans are not able to drive due to youth, old <br />age, income or disability.13 <br />Communities without adequate quality and quantity of transportation, including <br />facilities for bicycling and walking, place residents at a distinct disadvantage when <br />trying to access jobs, school, medical services and other daily needs. <br />Equity in transportation planning looks to more fairly distribute resources, particularly <br />to those who have the least access to critical resources, including jobs, education, <br />affordable housing, health care resources and other destinations important to <br />daily life. When using an equity lens, it is possible to identify where transportation <br />investments can improve health and accessibility for populations in need, including <br />low-income households, communities of color and people with disabilities. <br />Many factors in the built environment contribute to the inequitable distribution <br />and availability of resources to populations including the inadequate distribution, <br />accessibility and quality of biking and walking facilities, the concentration and <br />limitation of affordable housing options and the construction of high speed, high <br />volume roads through low-income neighborhoods. Communities of color and low <br />income residents are disproportionately represented in pedestrian and bicycle <br />crashes and are at the highest risk. <br />Inequitable distribution of resources impacts vulnerable populations, through <br />increased travel costs, worse health outcomes and higher health care costs and <br />decreased accessibility and mobility.14 <br />